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Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

When news broke that after many years of conversation Blade Runner 2049 was officially a go I was against it. Blade Runner ranks among my favorite films of all time. Part of what makes that film so special for me was the ambiguity of its ending. My kneejerk reaction was to shut down the prospect of a sequel, because it would undo everything I love about the original film. Harrison Ford was going to be back so it would have to demystify everything I loved about the world of Blade Runner. Blade Runner 2049 would have to definitively tell you if Deckard was a replicant, right?

What if it didn’t?

I started thinking about how you bring Harrison Ford back to futuristic Los Angeles without messing up what made Ridley Scott’s film a flawed masterpiece. Then it occurred to me. The best way to approach Harrison Ford’s character in Blade Runner 2049 is to make him a replicant.

“But Jay, I thought you just said you liked the ambiguity of the original film.”

I did. But follow along…

The best way to handle the character of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner is to leave that character in the first film. His story ends when those elevator doors shut. What happened after that? Who knows? Was he a replicant? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s whatever you want it to be.

The character Harrison Ford plays in BR 2049 should be a replicant. It preserves the character established in the first film. If you thought he was a replicant and Gaff knew his dreams, he can be a replicant. If you believe he was a human who ran off with an android that he fell in love with, he did. Our Harrison Ford in BR 2049 can be a whole different character. He can be a replicant based on the human Blade Runner we met in the original film. Or maybe he’s another replicant in a long line of Deckard replicants. Pretty cool, right? The important part is this film doesn’t need to answer the questions that the first film asked viewers to answer for themselves.

Deckard the replicant could also open up a very cool plot for BR 2049. Imagine a world where Harrison Ford is the “skin job” on the run, with Ryan Gosling tasked to retire him? That idea makes me positively giddy. Maybe Deckard 2.0 is a replicant who has a human’s lifespan. This is the future, after all.

After coming to the realization that Blade Runner 2 doesn’t have to ruin what I loved about Blade Runner I am REALLY excited to see what story Villeneuve plans to tell in BR 2049.

Granted this trailer doesn’t tell us much, but I fear they may have gone a little two dimensional with the approach, especially based off of the synopsis released above. It frankly sounds like the plot of The Force Awakens with mixed with the plot to Total Recall (another film based on a Philip K. Dick story). I have ridiculous expectations for this film, my love of Blade Runner rivals my love of Star Wars. I’m really hoping Villeneuve is able to make something really special that stands up proudly next to Ridley Scott’s original film. He’s been knocking everything out of the park for the past few years. If anyone can make worthy sequel it’s him. (If you haven’t already seen it, get out there and see Arrival)

Movies and TV shows rely on social media more than ever these days. Whether it’s connecting with fans almost instantaneously or dropping hints about upcoming storylines or currently filming projects this is a new day and age for entertainment.

Take the Twitter page @AlienAnthology. They regularly share little behind-the-scenes bits from the past classic films and even give little peeks into Ridley Scott’s current project, the Prometheus sequel / Alien prequel Alien: Covenant. And one of the latest offerings was a possible look into what we can expect the actual alien to look like.

It’s not a full look at what the xenomorph will look like (we most likely won’t get that until the first actual trailer), but for now we get a look at what may be the hand:

So we can assume that the xenomorphs will start to take the form they show in the first Alien film from the looks of this. And because the aliens tend to evolve with each race that they incubate in, it’s a safe bet that more than one of the crew in this film will come throat-to-weird-tube-thingy with a facehugger or two.

We’ll know for sure when Alien: Covenant hits theaters in a little over a year, on August 4, 2017.

Fans were divided when they heard a sequel to Ridley Scott’s futuristic noir classic Blade Runner was in the works. But whether you love the idea or loathe its existence, one thing is now certain – we know when we’ll be seeing it hit theaters.

Warner Bros dropped a press release today that set an official release date. We can expect to see the next installment on January 12, 2018.

Typically the opening months of the New Year are dumping grounds for films that studios have no faith in. But maybe WB are doing a bit of strategic planning. Instead of putting it up against a slew of other summer blockbusters and tent pole films, the studio feels like it can have an uncontested hit early in the year.

Coming from Prisoners and Sicario director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriters Hampton Fancher (the original film) and Michael Green (Green Lantern), the only thing we know about the plot is that it will be set several decades after the first movie (which itself took place in 2019).

Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford have been confirmed to star, but Gosling’s role has yet to be defined.

Whoever (or whatever) the character may be, I know that droves of fans will turn out to either sing the praises of the sequel or bury it six feet under.

The official press release came out as follows:

Alcon Entertainment’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece BLADE RUNNER, to star Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford (reprising his role as Rick Deckard), and to be directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sciario, Prisoners), will be released by Warner Bros. in North America on January 12, 2018, it was announced by Alcon co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson.

Sony Pictures Releasing International will distribute in all overseas territories in all media.

The story, written by Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the original) and Michael Green and based on a story by Fancher and Ridley Scott, takes up several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original.

Principal photography is scheduled to begin in July, 2016. Multi-Oscar nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (Sicario, Prisoners) will reunite with Villeneuve on the project.

Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television and ancillary franchise rights to BLADE RUNNER in 2011 from the late producer Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic science-fiction thriller. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin will produce along with Johnson and Kosove. Bud Yorkin will receive producer credit.

It would seem Danny McBride is going Eastbound and Down to the far reaches of outer space.

The Wrap reports that the actor is in early talks to join the cast of Alien: Coevnant, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus sequel and eventual lead-up to the events of the first Alien film.

McBride would join fellow newcomer Katherine Waterson and returning cast member Michael Fassbender. The film will find the crew of a ship called the Covenant discovering what they think is an uninhabited Paradise-like planet. But when they land they find the android David (Fassbender) waiting – and that the paradise they think they found is actually a lot more dangerous than they thought.

This would give McBride a chance to really stretch his wings as an actor and take on some more serious fare than we’ve currently seen him in. He’s mostly known for his “frat pack” and “stoner-like” comedic stylings, but He’s definitely done some dramatic turns in independent work occasionally and there are some amazing quiet moments of Eastbound that are downright heartbreaking.

Apparently when Scott and McBride met up they hit it off great, as the two (being huge movie buffs) started talking about old films and the like. That has to be good sign.

Alien: Covenant is currently penciled in for and October 2017 release.

Even though Alien: Covenant will be a sequel to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, only half of the surviving team will be making a comeback.

Noomi Rapace, who portrayed Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and was the only human who walked away from the carnage of the doomed mission of the Prometheus, will not return for the continuing adventure that will lead up to the events that happened in the sci-fi classic Alien.

Ridley Scott confirmed this with The Daily Mail, saying that Rapace will not be returning and that casting for the main roles are still ongoing (although it has been confirmed that Katherine Waterson will be one of the new crew members in Covenant).

Michael Fassbender will reprise his role as the android David. It’s unknown right now as to whether or not we’ll find out exactly what happened to Shaw and how David wound up alone. We do know that the film will take place ten years after the events of Prometheus, when a ship called Covenant touches down on a deserted planet whose lone inhabitant is David.

A lot of people shit on Prometheus, saying that director Ridley Scott teased us with what was supposed to be an Alien prequel and instead gave us a wierdly religious-feeling sci-fi flick. I liked it and remembered that he said it wouldn’t be a direct prequel to Alien but have the DNA of that universe in its system.

Well the sequel (or planned sequels in this case) to Prometheus ARE direct prequels to the beloved franchise that introduced bad-ass Ellen Ripley and some of the freakin scariest extraterrestrials in history. And fans who felt let down by the lack of slimy aliens in Prometheus will definitely dig the next chapter, Alien: Covenant.

While talking to The Wrap, Scott dropped the knowledge about which types of aliens we can expect to see in the upcoming trilogy of films:

We’ll have them all. Egg, face-hugger, chest-burster, then the big boy.

Prometheus gave us what could be considered “start-up” versions of these creatures, with the weird vials (egg), a giant squid-like “body-hugger” (face-hugger) and the earliest version of the traditional xenomorph that popped out of the engineer’s body.

Ridley also gave a little more detail about the plot:

They’re going to go to the planet where the engineers came from and come across the evolving creature that they had made. Why did they make it? Why would they make such a terrifying beast? It felt bio-mechanoid, it felt like a weapon. And so the movie will explain that, and reintroduce the alien back into it.

The director also says that he plans on making this a trilogy of films that will lead into the start of the 1979 horror classic and answer questions that fans have had for decades regarding the mythology and make-up of the universe.

I’m excited, yet apprehensive. I think the mystery makes the creepiness of Alien even scarier, like not knowing the full story behind the Space Jockey or the full origins of the xenomorphs. But this isn’t my story to tell. I can only hope that Ridley Scott wants to do right by the Alien universe and that he’s not just telling this story to make sure that no one else does.

I’ve made my displeasure over the idea of Blade Runner 2 very well known. The first film is sacred ground for me and I think there’s far more to lose with a sequel than there is to gain.

I will admit that Ridley Scott’s enthusiasm along with the return of Harrison Ford and the hiring of Sicario director Denis Villeneuve have my interest VERY piqued.

Recently, Ridley Scott spoke during AFI Festival and shared what he had in mind for the opening of Blade Runner 2, which is actually the unused opening from the original Blade Runner. (Mtime was there and /film provided an English translation):

We decided to start the film off with the original starting block of the original film. We always loved the idea of a dystopian universe, and we start off at what I describe as a ‘factory farm’ – what would be a flat land with farming. Wyoming. Flat, not rolling – you can see for 20 miles. No fences, just plowed, dry dirt. Turn around and you see a massive tree, just dead, but the tree is being supported and kept alive by wires that are holding the tree up. It’s a bit like Grapes of Wrath, there’s dust, and the tree is still standing. By that tree is a traditional, Grapes of Wrath-type white cottage with a porch. Behind it at a distance of two miles, in the twilight, is this massive combine harvester that’s fertilizing this ground. You’ve got 16 Klieg lights on the front, and this combine is four times the size of this cottage. And now a spinner [a flying car] comes flying in, creating dust. Of course, traditionally chased by a dog that barks, the doors open, a guy gets out and there you’ve got Rick Deckard. He walks in the cottage, opens the door, sits down, smells stew, sits down and waits for the guy to pull up to the house to arrive. The guy’s seen him, so the guy pulls the combine behind the cottage and it towers three stories above it, and the man climbs down from a ladder – a big man. He steps onto the balcony and he goes to Harrison’s side. The cottage actually [creaks]; this guy’s got to be 350 pounds. I’m not going to say anything else – you’ll have to go see the movie.

…Or you can look below!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ve included Sherman Lobby’s original storyboards for this exact scene made for Scott’s original film below which illustrate exactly how the scene plays out.

I’ve always loved this scene, but I can see why it was abandoned as it really didn’t fit in with the rest of Scott’s dark, claustrophobic cityscape.

What do you think? Are you interested in a Blade Runner sequel starring Ryan Gosling? Do you think this scene will play with an aging Ford as Rick Deckard? Leave a comment below!

Like a Xenomorph, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus 2 transformed multiple times since its inception. What began as Prometheus 2 recently changed to Alien: Paradise Lost only to change one last time to Alien: Covenant.

Today 20th Century Fox announced that Scott’s Alien: Covenant will be unleashed on 10/6/2017.

Their official synopsis is as follows:

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created in ALIEN with ALIEN: COVENANT, the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began with PROMETHEUS — and connects directly to Scott’s 1979 seminal work of science fiction. Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

Of note here is the fact that this next film is titled Alien rather than Prometheus as well as the promise that this new film “connects directly to Scott’s 1979 work of science fiction.” Anybody else tingling?

Many were critical of Prometheus upon its release due to its lack of direct connection to 1979’s Alien, but I really dug it. What the story may have lacked at times was more than offset by Scott’s most interesting looking film since Blade Runner. I’m excited to see him continue to bridge the gap between the world he established in Prometheus and the world of Alien.

Hopefully, Scott will carry over the swagger he’s earned with the Martian (his biggest hit to date) and really dazzle us with Alien: Covenant.

What are your thoughts? Are you ready to board an M Class Starfreighter with Ridley Scott for another run?

When Prometheus ended, Noomi Rapace’s Dr. Shaw and Michael Fassbender’s android David (or at least his head) were seen shooting off into space to look for answers from the enigmatic Engineers who probably created mankind but also created the creatures that would become the Xenomorphs.

But how much fun is a sequel if the aliens in question only have one and one-fifth victims to chase?

Ridley Scott has the answer to that question. In talking with AwardsCampaign, the filmmaker talked about how our survivors from the first film will actually run across a new crew of space travelers for the Xenomorphs to antagonize:

It’s going to be its own separate thing because they are going to the planet of the Engineers and they are going to see what happened there. It was a disaster. And they will be in that alien craft that takes them there, but with a new group that’s incoming, a new group of travelers in the beginning of the first act.

As to exactly who these astronauts will be is anyone’s guess at the moment. They could be space scavengers or interstellar pirates. It could be a rival team of scientists hoping to piggyback on the Weyland Corporation’s discoveries or if Scott wanted to give us a mild sense of connectivity it might be a team of Space Marines that intercept Shaw and David en route to answering another distress call.

All that we do know for sure is that the Prometheus sequel Alien: Paradise Lost will be Ridley Scott’s next film, prepping for start in early 2016.

Have you ever had your car break down in an unfamiliar area? It has to be the worst feeling ever, the wave of hopelessness and being trapped are inescapable. In that situation, no matter where you are, you know civilization (and a tow truck) are usually not too far off. But what if it wasn’t? What if help was millions of miles away? What if you were stuck with a finite supply of food? Water? Oxygen?

What if you knew you might die alone, never getting to see another face or hear another voice for whatever short time you have left in this life?

That is the circumstance that director Ridley Scott gives us in his newest sci-fi epic The Martian. But don’t think that the acclaimed filmmaker is bringing us a story of hopelessness and futility. This is a film that puts on the forefront the undying will of the human condition to survive in even the most impossible of situations.

We start with the crew of the Ares III, a manned scientific mission to Mars smack dab in the middle of their current stay on the red planet, when they get a warning from NASA about an impending dust storm. This is no ordinary storm though; this dust-up has the potential to put the whole mission at risk. So the mission commander calls for an immediate evacuation of the planet and everyone gets off-planet except for botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon), who is impaled by a satellite antenna and is presumed dead.

But Watney isn’t dead. The hit knocked out his suit’s bio-readings and the crew had no idea that a metal rod from the antenna and his blood formed a makeshift seal in the hole in his suit, saving his life and giving him a second chance at survival. Now Watney needs to figure out a plan for survival, knowing that another mission is slated to come back in a few years. The engineers at NASA figure out that he’s alive though and soon everyone is on the clock to figure out a way to not only help Mark survive but bring him home safely.

Ridley Scott returns to form after having a couple of missteps with Exodus and Prometheus (the latter of which I actually really enjoyed). Reteaming with cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, who worked with the director on the aforementioned films, Scott brings the planet Mars to life in all it’s beautiful yet dangerous glory. In a film that could have been mired in loneliness and depression Scott instead chooses to focus on the optimism and hope that just
radiates from astronaut Mark Watney.

Screenwriter Drew Goddard, who at one point showed interest in directing before turning the reins over to Scott, has delivered one of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations that I’ve seen since Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay for her novel Gone Girl. I’ve read the book by Andy Weir, and after watching the film I can honestly say it was like watching the pages come to life on the big screen. Of course there had to be sections excised for the sake of pacing and overall storytelling, but Goddard managed to find the right balance and keep the film moving along at a brisk pace. I’m going to go ahead and say if he isn’t nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay it will be a crime.

The Martian is anchored by a powerhouse performance from Matt Damon. Having no one to really work against and having to carry his third of the film by himself, Damon shows why he’s in a class all his own. The actor makes Mark Watney the personification of hope, a walking, talking cute kitten “Hang In There” poster. But not once did it seem sappy or cloying. Whether it’s declaring himself a space pirate or lamenting the lack of choices in the music available to him (one crew member loves their disco), Watney will not let Mars get him down.

And the supporting cast is stellar beyond belief. While not everyone had a “moment” everyone brought their A-game. Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean and Chiwetel Ejiofor held their ground as the NASA team trying to keep Mark alive from millions of miles (and a 12 to 24 minute conversation delay) away. Meanwhile Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Pena, Aksel Hennie and especially Jessica Chastain worked equally as hard with not only the fact that they left a man behind but with the decisions that could cost them their careers and possibly their lives.

With a soundtrack of 70’s hits that make this movie more fun that it has any right to be, The Martian takes the Robinson Crusoe tale to new heights (and planets). Beautifully shot and chock full of superb performances, this is one space tale that goes above and beyond to entertain and achieves its goal with interstellar ease.

Blade Runner 2 is swiftly moving along and producer Ridley Scott is in a talking mood. While promoting The Martian the filmmaker took the time to answer questions from Yahoo regarding Harrison Ford as a replicant, Ryan Golsing and sequels.

That’s right folks. If all goes well, we may get more Blade Runner in the future.

But first things first. One of the biggest contentions is whether or not Rick Deckard, Ford’s character from the 1982 sci-fi classic, is a replicant or not. Through the various cuts of the film it could go either way. Ridley says that we’ll get the definitive answer in the sequel:

Of course he’s a bloody Replicant! He’s going to have to admit it…I’m not going to tell you [how the question of replicant expiration is addressed]. You’ll have to see the story. It’ll all make sense.

Now, Ryan Gosling is also involved and there may be a “passing the torch” element here in regards to him taking over for Ford in the upcoming film:

[The original film] was 2017 (EDIT: The first film was actually set in 2019), so coming back it’ll be 2047, roughly. As young as you can play Ryan Gosling. He’s 34, but he looks 27 when he’s doing his push-ups. So maybe 2050.

Even though he’ll be involved, Ridley Scott will not be directing. That honor goes to Sicario helmer Denis Villeneuve. But the filmmaker is still of the mind that he’ll get last say in the final product that goes up on the silver screen:

Oh, yeah. I mean, I always have final cut on everything, really. Partly because I’m very user-friendly. I always believe when you’re given X amount of money by someone to f–k around with and make a movie, you can’t draw lines in the sand. If I was an investor and you did that to me, I’d remove your ankles. So don’t do the auteur s–t. I respect the guy for giving the money and I respect the studio for saying, “Yeah, you want to do this, here we go.”

And it seems like sequels are the name of the game when it comes to Scott’s franchises. First Prometheus is being rumored to spawn at least three more installments. Now he’s saying we’ll get more Blade Runner should all go well on this one:

Everyone else is, so why not? I love to work. The French say “Work to live,”and I live to work. I’m very lucky to have a job that I adore. All my kids do the same thing. Some of it’s trying, but it’s like being in professional sport. It’s so competitive [that] you better keep bouncing the ball. You can’t rest.

I’m all for more films as long as they have a story to tell. The first Blade Runner is a bit of a sacred cow amongst cinephiles. Let’s just see if Gosling can fill Ford’s shoes and Villeneuve can give the fans a sequel worthy of the name first.

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus was a film with DNA from the Alien universe, not a direct prequel to the first Alien film but a good starting point. And the other day Scott revealed that we’d be getting another few Prometheus films to help bridge the gap between both of the director’s movies.

But that might not be the case anymore…at least with the movies being under the Prometheus banner. Speaking to HeyUGuys, Ridley Scott unveiled a new title for the Prometheus sequel that starts filming in January. The new film will be called…

Alien: Paradise Lost.

So now the films will definitely be part of the Alien franchise as they have the actual name in the title. Scott also said that the subtitle, which references John Milton’s poem about the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan and their banishment from the Garden of Eden, isn’t just coincidence.

“It sounds intellectual, but there’s a similarity to it, that’s where it stops,” he teased.

Marketing-wise, this is a smart move. People will be more apt to see an Alien film than a Prometheus film, especially after the lukewarm response the latter film got.

And with this now getting the all-important Alien titling where does that leave Neill Blomkamp’s proposed movie? The official fifth film in the franchise was supposed to be a direct sequel to the hit second installment Aliens, but Ridley Scott had that delayed when he said he wanted to make a second Prometheus film. Now this might take some of the thunder away from Blomkamp’s movie…if they even decide to go forward with it at this point.

Either way, Alien: Paradise Lost will pick up where Prometheus left off, with Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender on the hunt for the Engineer ship and answers to what exactly happened both on Earth and the planet where they encountered the things that would eventually wind up being the classic Xenomorphs.

The director recently did an interview with German website Filmfutter (which Coming Soon saw and translated) in which the he was asked about whether or not Prometheus would ever intersect with the Alien franchise directly:

Yes, but it won’t be in the next one. It will be in the one after this one or maybe even a fourth film before we get back into the Alienfranchise…The whole point of it is to explain the Alien franchise and to explain the how and why of the creation of the Alien itself. I always thought of the Alien as kind of a piece of bacterial warfare. I always thought that that original ship, which I call the Croissant, was a battleship, holding these biomechanoid creatures that were all about destruction.

So Scott is planning on a real saga here.

Keep in mind this was translated from English to German and back to English so some things may have been lost in translation, but it’s hard to mess up the intention of at least two more sequels. At least Ridley Scott is sticking to his guns and finishing the story his way.

I’m hoping this announcement won’t hinder the fifth Alien movie any longer than it has to. Rumor is that the Prometheus sequel, which is set to start shooting this January with Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace returning, is holding up production on the next Alien movie which has Neill Blomkamp attached to direct.

While the second film is slated to be Ridley Scott’s next project, no word from FOX has come out regarding a third and fourth film. This might be the director’s way of forcing the studio’s hand to commit to more films sight unseen. We’ll probably have to wait and see how the second film performs at the box office before we get word on any further installments.

Filmmaker Ridley Scott is still very excited about the thought of expanding the Prometheus franchise. So much so that he’s delaying the fifth Alien film from director Neill Blomkamp and his own crime drama The Cartel to move forward with this project in January 2016.

Now we have the first confirmed cast member. Deadline spoke to Scott at Toronto International Film Festival and the director dropped the news that Michael Fassbender would be joining the film and reprising his role as android David.

Prometheus ended with Dr. Shaw (Noomi Rapace) taking the head of David and launching off into space in search of the alien race that may have accidentally spawned life on Earth. Rumors were abound that the sequel could include multiple versions of David running around.

Fassbender is currently finishing up filming on Assassin’s Creed. There was word that he was going to do The Snowman, based on the crime novel by author Jo Nesbo, after that. Ridley Scott is making it sound like Prometheus 2 will be the actor’s next film, though.

We’ll see come January once principal photography begins. Until then, as someone who liked the first film, I’m eagerly anticipating this sequel.

As soon as the sequel to Blade Runner was announced it was like the sky opened and Armageddon was announced. The hardcore fanbase for the Ridley Scott classic is mostly of the mind that this is one of those films that is perfect as is and shouldn’t be bastardized by being made into a franchise.

And director Denis Villeneuve was actually among those. In an interview with Collider, the filmmaker spoke about how he both loved and hated the idea of a sequel:

When I heard that Ridley Scott wanted to do another movie in the Blade Runner universe, at first my reaction was that it’s a fantastic idea, but it may be a very bad idea. I’m among the hardcore fans of Blade Runner. Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a movie that is linked with my love and passion for cinema.

But in the end it was his love of the movie that led him to accept the job of sequel director and (become possibly one of the most vilified directors if this goes bad):

I’m totally aware of the huge challenge. It’s a risk I know that every single fan who walks into the theater will walk in with a baseball bat. I’m aware of that and I respect that, and it’s okay with me because it’s art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It’s gonna be the biggest risk of my life but I’m okay with that. For me it’s very exciting; it’s just so inspiring, I’m so inspired. I’ve been dreaming to do sci-fi since I was 10 years old, and I said “no”to a lot of sequels. I couldn’t say “no”to Blade Runner. I love it too much, so I said, “Alright fuck it, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great.”

Villeneuve wasn’t forthcoming with any details but he did say that the sequel would be autonomous and stand on its own, probably much like how Prometheus is part of the Alien universe but stands on its own. He did mention just which version of the four that have been released commercially resonates the most with him:

The only thing I can say is I was raised with the original cut, the original version that Ridley doesn’t like. That’s the Blade Runner that I was introduced to at the beginning and that I loved for years, and then I must say that I’m someone that appreciated the very last cut, the [Final Cut] version. So between all the different cuts, for me it’s the first and the very last that I’m more inspired by.

Blade Runner 2, which reportedly will star Harrison Ford and possibly Ryan Gosling, has been rumored to hit theaters at some point in 2017.

Director Ridley Scott has had a lot put on his plate recently. From sequels for the Alien and Prometheus franchises to the drug-running drama The Cartel to being a producer on Blade Runner 2, it’s a wonder the man has time to sleep, but he has narrowed down which of these projects will recieve his attention next.

And after weeks of speculation it can now be confirmed – Scott will be moving forward with Prometheus 2.

In an interview with Empire regarding the upcoming film The Martian, star Matt Damon was asked if the release date change affected the filmmaker. Damon said “Ridley was done with the movie about two weeks after we shot!” Scott, who was in the room as well responded with “I was already on to my next movie! I was starting to look for locations for my next movie, which is Prometheus 2.”

So now we know that Prometheus 2 will be moving forward, with a rumored January 2016 start date. And since Ridley wants Prometheus to move forward before the fifth Alien film (which is set to be directed by sci-fi wunderkind Neill Blomkamp), we’ll have to wait a little while longer for the saga of Ellen Ripley to be continued.

Not everyone liked Prometheus. I think it got a bad rap because everyone expected it to give us all the answers to the Alien questions we’d been holding for all these years. As its own film, I enjoyed it. I’m actually looking forward to seeing if we get to see the home world of the alien beings that came to Earth and created life.

No official timeline was released by FOX as to what will happen when, so for now we’ll keep our eyes open for the official announcements.

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

Even though a lot of people shit on it, I liked Prometheus. Sure, it wasn’t Ridley Scott’s greatest sci-fi film, but he wanted to try something new while still maintaining ties to a universe that he loved. It was a bold film with an ending that let you know that Scott had more story to tell.

And now he may get to finish that story. In the print version of Total Film, Scott did a little press for his upcoming film The Martian. In that press release he said that shooting on Prometheus 2 could start as early as January 2016.

“I’ve got back into the sci-fi thing, I kind of adore it,” Scott said.

This could happen, but it does have a few things working against it.

Now, the director has been recently attached to the adaptation of The Cartel, which Leonardo DiCaprio has been circling to lead. The DEA / Cartel film may take a while to get together though, so Prometheus 2 could be a good time killer until The Cartel is ready to get up and running.

There also happens to be the Neill Blomkamp Alien film that is in the works. Could FOX really want two films set in the same universe so close together? Why not? It’s not like they’d intersect and they would be telling two totally different stories set in two different timelines. Scott even said that he’s looking use alien lifeforms other than the classic Xenomorphs.

Ridley Scott has been known to talk up projects and just let them sit by the wayside though. We may have to wait until the calendar turns to 2016 to find out if the filmmaker will continue the saga that he began back in 2012.

The story is that of two former friends and the diverging paths they take over the course of a decade. One of them is a DEA agent. The other is a member of a drug cartel. Apparently the tale is based a bit on Cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the man who recently breached a once unescapable Mexican prison.

Shane Salerno, the writer who also adapted Winslow’s Savages for director Oliver Stone, will also write the screenplay for The Cartel.

The next film from Ridley Scott, The Martian starring Matt Damon, is scheduled for release October 2, 2015, pushed up almost two full months due to good word of mouth.

No word yet on when this will fall on Ridley’s schedule. But with El Chapo’s name still in the news, I’d put good money on this being moved up in importance a little quicker than normal.

THE MARTIAN | Official Trailer: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.